Dispenser with flexible bag



Oct- 27, 1 K. v. RINGBLOM DISPENSER WITH FLEXIBLE BAG 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 31, 1962 M M WM, 4 r

Oct. 27, 1964 K. v. RINGBLOM DISPENSER WITH FLEXIBLE BAG 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 31, 1962 United States Patent 3,154,221 BizilENSER WITH FLEXIBLE BAG Knot V. l'rlilngblorn, Vingesgatan '7, Lnhohn, Sr eden Filed .ian. 31, 1962, Ser. No. 171L177 Claims priority, application Sweden, Feb. 7, 1%1, 1,246/61 3 Claims. (Q1. 222-183) This invention relates to a container comprising a tubular envelope of flexible material which is to be closed at one end and has a bottom at the other end, and a base arranged at said other end of the envelope and having feet or other distance elements to keep the bottom spaced from the surface carrying the container, said container being adapted for opening at said other end.

Containers of the type outlined above have proved superior to conventional bags for the transport of bulk material inasmuch as they can be given a considerably larger volume than the conventional bags and are well suited for handling by mechanical lifting and conveying appliances, such as forklift trucks.

The object of the present invention is to provide a container of the type outlined in the foregoing, in which the parts subjected to the greatest wear, i.e. the parts in direct contact with the conveyed goods, are readily exchangeable.

The container according to the invention is characterized by the feature that the bottom comprises a flexible bottom layer connected to the envelope at said other end thereof, and a rigid bottom disk being part of the base and disposed beneath the bottom layer, and that the container is equipped with means for detachably maintaining the bottom layer in such a position on the base that closable apertures provided in the bottom layer and the bottom disk, respectively, are in register.

For a better understanding of the invention one embodiment thereof will be described in more detail in the following, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

PEG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the container, the envelope and the bottom layer being shown by dash and dot lines;

FIG. 2 is a view of an expandable ring for detachably maintaining the flexible bottom layer in position on the base;

FIG. 3 is a top elevational view of the base for the container, the bottom disk and the support means having been omitted.

The container 19 illustrated in the drawings comprises a tubular envelope 12 of flexible material having a bottom 11, and a base 13 for said envelope. At its one or upper end the envelope 12 can be closed in the manner of a conventional bag of burlap, while the base 13 is disposed at the other or lower end of the envelope 12 and has feet 14 to keep the bottom 11 spaced from the surface carrying the container.

The bottom 11 is constituted by a flexible circular bottom layer 15 which is sewn to the envelope along the lower edge 16 thereof, and by a rigid bottom disk 1 which is a constituent part of the base 13 and disposed beneath the bottom layer 15. Circular apertures 13 an 19 permitting emptying of the container contents are provided in the bottom layer 15 and the bottom disk 17, respectively, means 20, 21 being arranged detachably to maintain the bottom layer 15 in such a position on the base 13 that the apertures 13 and 19 are in register. These means 20, 21 comprise an expandable ring-like member in the shape of a closed figure, such as a ring 26 disposed in the bottom layer 15 round the aperture 13 therein, and a peripheral groove 21 provided in the wall 22 defining the aperture 19 in the bottom disk. The ring 2-9 is 3,154,221 Patented Oct. 27, 1964 insertable in the aperture of the bottom disk and adapted to expand into the groove 21.

The expandable ring is a split resilient metal ring (FIG. 2) which is compressible so as to make its diameter smaller than those of the apertures 18 and 19. When released, the ring tends to expand to a diameter larger than those of said apertures. The ring 21 is sewn into the bottom layer 15 round the aperture 19 therein, as is indicated in FIG. 1, and an arcuate sleeve 23 can be placed over the split portion of the ring to prevent damages to the bottom layer upon compression or expansion of the ring (FIG. 2).

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the groove 21 in the bottom disk 17 is defined by the boundary wall 22 of the aperture 19 and by the underside of a peripheral projection into the aperture 19, here shown in the form of a disk 25 having a circular opening 24 and mounted in such a position on the upper side of the bottom disk 17 that the axis of the opening 24 coincides with that of the aperture 19, said aperture 19 diverging from the underside of the bottom disk towards the upper side thereof and having at the upper side of the bottom disk a diameter larger than the opening 2 1 in the disk 25. The portion of the wall 22 defining the aperture 19 which slants into the aperture 19 acts as the bottom portion of the groove and holds the ring 2% in the groove.

The base 13 has four feet 14- each in the shape of a U-shaped member with upwardly directed limbs. At the upper ends of the limbs there is provided a supporting frame 2d which surrounds the envelope 12 above the bottom layer 15 and serves to localize the envelope and thus the bottom layer on the bottom disk 17. Beneath the supporting frame 26 there is provided a square carrying frame 27 which is secured to the limbs short of the lower ends thereof such that the corners of the square carrying frame are placed between the limbs of each foot 14, as will appear from FIG. 3. Attached to this carrying frame 27 are two parallel cross members 28 with guides 29 for a slide 3% which is movable along said guides 29 into and out of a position in which it closes the aperture 19 in the bottom disk 17. The slide 312 has a handle 31 which is easily accessible from the container side, whereby the slide can be moved by hand along said guides 29.

The base 13 further includes two detachable support means 32 which serve to hold the flexible envelope 12 in upright position at the filling of the container 16. Each of said support means 32 comprises an upright 33 which is arranged to extend vertically on the outer side of the remaining portion of the base 13 and which at the upper end has a curved transverse member 34 over which the envelope 12 can be folded in the manner shown in FIG. 1, and at the lower end has means 35 which are arranged to engage the supporting frame 26 and the carrying frame 27 to hold the support means in correct position on the remaining part of the base. The support means 32 shown in PEG. 1 each has three such means 35, one of which is placed at the lowermost end of the upright 33 and adapted to engage the carrying frame 27 at one of the corners thereof while the other two means 35 (only one of which is visible in the figure) are arranged on the outer ends of a curved transverse member 36 on the upright 33 and adapted to engage the supporting frame 26, the member 35 being adapted to rest on the upper side of the supporting frame, as will appear from the figure.

It will be seen that the invention provides an extremely simple and practical container in which the envelope 12 and the bottom layer 15 united therewith, the bottom disk 17, the support means 32 and the remaining part of the base 13 can readily be separated from each other.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore the invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A container comprising a bag of flexible material having a side wall portion and a flat bottom portion, rigid supporting platform means for supporting the flat bot tom portion of said bag, confining means protruding from said platform means and surrounding the side wall portion of said bag adjacent the fiat bottom portion thereof to check movements of the fiat bottom portion of said bag along said platform means, said platform means having an aperture therein, movable gate means on said platform means and movable so as to close said aperture for opening and closing the aperture in saidplatform means, marginal means defining an aperture in the bottom portion of said bag, and retaining means relea'sably clamping said marginal means to said platform means for retaining the apertures in said'platform means and the bottom portion of said bag in register, said retaining means com prising an expandable ring, and said platform means having a peripheral groove around the aperture in said platform means, said ring being removably inserted in the groove and expanding into said groove for clamping said marginal means against said platform means.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1 in which said platform means comprises a platform which has an aperture therein, and a wall member over said aperture and having an aperture therein smaller than the aperture in said platform and defining the groove between the edge of the aperture in said platform and said wall member in which said ring is inserted.

3. A container comprising a bag of flexible material having a side wall portion and a flat bottom portion, rigid supporting platform means for supporting the flat bottom portion of said bag, confining means protruding from said platform means and surrounding the side wall portion of said bag adjacent the flat bottom portion thereof to check movements of the flat bottom portion of said bag along said platform means, said platform means having an aperture therein, movable gate means on said platform means and movable so as to close said aperture for opening and closing the aperture in said platform means, marginal means defining an aperture in the bottom portion of said bag, 'a peripheral projection around the periphery of said aperture in said platform means, said marginal means extending over said peripheral projection into said aperture, an expandable ring-like member in the shape of a closed figure expanded against the marginal means within said aperture in said platform means and holidng said marginal means against the wall of the platform member defining the aperture, and'means projecting from said platform member for retaining said ring-like member in said aperture.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,368,952 Vale Feb. 6, 1945 2,570,077 Smith Oct. 2, 1951 2,831,610 Dennie Apr. 22, 1958 3,058,623 Hawk et al Oct. 16, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 736,834 Great Britain Sept. 14, 1955 

1. A CONTAINER COMPRISING A BAG OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL HAVING A SIDE WALL PORTION AND A FLAT BOTTOM PORTION, RIGID SUPPORTING PLATFORM MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE FLAT BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID BAG, CONFINING MEANS PROTRUDING FROM SAID PLATFORM MEANS AND SURROUNDING THE SIDE WALL PORTION OF SAID BAG ADJACENT THE FLAT BOTTOM PORTION THEREOF TO CHECK MOVEMENTS OF THE FLAT BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID BAG ALONG SAID PLATFORM MEANS, SAID PLATFORM MEANS HAVING AN APERTURE THEREIN, MOVABLE GATE MEANS ON SAID PLATFORM MEANS AND MOVABLE SO AS TO CLOSE SAID APERTURE FOR OPENING AND CLOSING THE APERTURE IN SAID PLATFORM MEANS, MARGINAL MEANS DEFINING AN APERTURE IN THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID BAG, AND RETAINING MEANS RELEASABLY CLAMPING SAID MARGINAL MEANS TO SAID PLATFORM MEANS FOR RETAINING THE APERTURES IN SAID PLATFORM MEANS AND THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID BAG IN REGISTER, SAID RETAINING MEANS COMPRISING AN EXPANDABLE RING, AND SAID PLATFORM MEANS HAVING A PERIPHERAL GROOVE AROUND THE APERTURE IN SAID PLATFORM MEANS, SAID RING BEING REMOVABLY INSERTED IN THE GROOVE AND EXPANDING INTO SAID GROOVE FOR CLAMPING SAID MARGINAL MEANS AGAINST SAID PLATFORM MEANS. 